Chapter 18

Compared to being transported to Prison No. 18, Qingchen felt that tonight was truly a crisis.

He couldn't determine who the other party was or what their intentions were.

The fact that they had merely become suspicious of him and started to tail him made him feel very uneasy.

It was as if he had suddenly stepped out of the school's sheltered environment into a world where real beasts roamed.

Perhaps this was the true nature of the world.

The night was very deep, and Qingchen was moving through the green belt, relying on the tall sycamore trees on both sides of the road to conceal his movements.

The adrenaline-pumping, heart-pounding tension didn't dissipate until he had circled around for a considerable distance.

When he returned to his residence on Xingshu Road, Qingchen even sat in the shadows for half an hour to ensure no one was following him before deciding to go home.

The autumn air was crisp and the temperature was dropping, but his clothes were drenched in sweat.

As he walked, Qingchen opened his phone to search for the game streamer He Xiaoxiao, wanting to see if they had made any new guides.

However, He Xiaoxiao, who had said they would do an overview of the "Inner World" tonight, had disappeared.

Fans were asking in the comment section why He Xiaoxiao wasn't streaming, but there was no response.

Could this streamer have also been taken away by a mysterious organization? How many such mysterious organizations are there in the country?

Qingchen couldn't be sure.

Suddenly, sirens sounded outside the neighborhood, and police cars drove into the area.

Qingchen frowned and followed them. The police car stopped right in front of his building, and cries of a woman and a man's screams could be heard from the second floor.

The neighbors had all come out, and people from other buildings gathered in a circle downstairs. Qingchen hid in the crowd and watched silently.

"What's going on? What happened?" an old man asked in confusion.

"There's a man in this building who often beats his wife," a middle-aged woman said, holding a child and swaying. "The woman was once beaten so badly that she had to be hospitalized, but the man didn't change. Later, when the woman wanted a divorce, the man beat her again and threatened to kill her entire family if she dared to divorce him."

"So what happened today?" someone asked in confusion. "Did the man beat the woman again? But it sounds like the man is in trouble."

"You're right," the middle-aged woman said. "I was about to go up and intervene, but I found that this time the woman beat the man."

"What?" someone was shocked.

"The man came home drunk tonight and wanted to beat his wife again. But guess what? You've all heard about the people who have been transported, right? His wife seems to have been transported back," the middle-aged woman said with relish. "At first, the woman still took the beating and didn't fight back, but later, she must have been pushed to the limit and broke the man's leg. It's just a pity for the little girl in the family, who is so young and has to suffer like this."

Qingchen finally felt relieved upon hearing this. To be honest, he didn't feel any sympathy for the man; he even felt a bit amused.

What could be more pathetic than a man beating his wife?

He couldn't fight back.

This family of three lived upstairs from him. Over the past two years, he often saw the woman holding her daughter and crying downstairs when he returned home after evening study sessions.

The woman was almost thirty, and she was quite beautiful. Her husband always thought she had someone else, so he drank and beat her.

Later, Qingchen learned from the neighbors that the man would beat her whenever he saw her talking to other men.

Now that he was beaten, it was just what he deserved.

At this moment, the police had already gone upstairs to question the man, who was being carried to the ambulance in a twisted state.

Qingchen glanced at him; both of his arms were bent irregularly, clearly broken.

As the ambulance left, the police waved for everyone to disperse.

Qingchen was about to go home when he saw the little girl sitting at her doorstep, looking pitiful.

"Brother, my mom just told me to come to your place for a while, but when I knocked on the door, you weren't home," the little girl said with a sob.

The little girl's name was Li Tongyun, and she had come to Qingchen's place to hide before.

Qingchen wasn't the type to meddle in others' affairs, but once, when the couple upstairs was arguing, the little girl was crying alone in the hallway.

At that time, Qingchen had just finished his evening study session. When he was about to pass by the little girl, the man upstairs came out looking for her, and she asked Qingchen if she could hide at his place for a while.

In the end, Qingchen agreed.

That night, he made soy sauce fried rice for the little girl and played cartoons on his phone for her.

After everything calmed down, he sent the little girl back home.

Later, the woman upstairs learned about this and, when they argued, would send the little girl to Qingchen's place.

The woman once felt a bit embarrassed and offered to wash Qingchen's dirty clothes, but Qingchen was worried that the man upstairs would cause trouble, so he didn't respond.

Now, Qingchen patted the little girl's head and asked, "Have you eaten?"

"I had some cookies, but I'm still a bit hungry," the little girl, Li Tongyun, said timidly.

"Come on, I haven't eaten either. I'll make you some fried rice," Qingchen said. He had spent all his savings preparing supplies, but he still had plenty of condiments and rice at home. "After you eat, your mom should be fine. Don't be afraid; your dad won't be able to beat your mom anymore."

"Can I still come to your place?" Li Tongyun suddenly asked.

"Of course..."

Qingchen was about to speak when his expression suddenly changed. He quickly took out his keys, opened the door, and pulled Li Tongyun inside.

Li Tongyun looked at Qingchen in confusion, "Brother, what's wrong?"

Qingchen quickly pulled the curtains in the bedroom and peeked out through a small gap.

"Nothing, don't speak," Qingchen said.

As he spoke, a SUV drove into the hallway outside.

It was one of the vehicles he had seen at Yinyin Central Garden tonight!

They must have heard that a transporter had appeared here and came to investigate.

Qingchen's heart raced; he didn't expect them to react so quickly.

At that moment, two young men jumped out of the car, one wearing a black hoodie and the other a gray jacket.

They were the same two who had tailed Qingchen.

Qingchen's heart began to beat faster. He thought, "Is this what they call a narrow encounter?"

The next moment, the young man in the black hoodie looked toward the window where Qingchen was. Qingchen immediately stood up and moved back.

"What's wrong?" the black hoodie's companion asked.

The black hoodie smiled, "Nothing, just looking around. I felt like someone was watching me, but it's probably just my imagination. Let's go upstairs and get to work."

Qingchen was a bit worried about the woman upstairs.

To be precise, he was worried that if the woman was taken away, the little girl, Li Tongyun, would be in trouble.

Her father was in the hospital, and her mother was taken away by a mysterious organization. What would happen to her?

Ten minutes passed, and before Qingchen could decide what to do, the two young men had already gone downstairs.

They got into the car and left without taking Li Tongyun's mother.

What was going on? Qingchen was a bit confused. Didn't they want to take all the transporters?

Gradually, the police cars also left, and there was a knock on his door.

Qingchen went to open it and saw Li Tongyun's mother standing outside, her hair disheveled, her lip broken, and blood on her face.

The woman seemed to realize her appearance was not good, so she quickly tucked her hair behind her ear.

She softly said to Qingchen, "I'm sorry to trouble you again."

...

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